Punched in the Face. Again.

Everyone needs to continue to not freak out. Look at the FACTS. Romo hadn’t blown a home save in….18 hours.

Pagan is patrolling center field the way a homeless, schizophrenic man from the pier might do so….

Last night, I wondered if there was something in his personal life going on that might be contributing to his recent stretch of bad play. I watched the interview he did with the softball tossing scribes and he couldn’t have seemed more at ease with everything. Maybe that’s the right way to publicly approach it, I don’t know.

Pagan said the ball spun strangely and I’ll take his word for it. But it sure didn’t seem to be hit hard enough, even spinning unpredictably, to get by him. Like so many of his recent routes lately, I think he just took the wrong angle from the start.

He had the chance to redeem himself in the bottom of the 9th, he scorched a ball that unfortunately was hit right to Rutledge. And I don’t care what the mysterious man in New York said, he was safe. Tie goes to the runner.

But hey, that’s baseball, right?

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Most of the 5 L’s this week all at ATT revolve around pitching/defense. Vogs and Cain put team in early deficits, bum lost torture game when Sf got 10 hits/1 run, Hudson shut Nats down, twice SPs and pen hold fort vs. Rox til the 9th.

Kruk’s take on post game wrap, and he was pretty vehement about it, was Rox are diving out to hit the slider from Romo. And as noted they aren’t hitting stuff hard, but Kruk said he has to come inside with the fastball.
Sounds like pitching 101–establish hard inside (off the plate) to set up soft away. I doubt the *committee* returns, but maybe Romo isn’t used quite as often and gets more recovery time btw. outings.

Pagan (like most OFs) occasionally makes a bad decision, and was prone to these when he first got to ATT. So many things have to be factored in so quickly on ball in the gap, and one wrong step can cost you.

Well, if the Rockies have figured out how to hit Romo’s frisbee, then that’s not a good sign of things to come for him. He’s actually got a good *what used to be called screwball*, he should use it more. What Romo has done the past few years is great, but I do believe he will not be the G’s closer come the playoffs. Anyway, I usually don’t like to re-post posts from previous strings, but ya’ll were sleeping while I was wide awake in the Eastern Hemisphere and wrote this shit so I’m posting it again. So there.

I realize that I’m writing into the Bay Area ether in the middle of the night there, but something is bothering me. Last year, the wheels came off the Giants Express right after Pagan’s ITPHR (he was gone for months as you remember, and the team pretty much tanked for a couple of months after that, coincidence or not). I (and others) have previously said here that it’s very cool watching Crazy Horse round 3rd and sprint home. But the last time he did that was… the last time he did that. He bruised his kneecap, apparently no big thing. But he has definitely not been performing well since then, and many here have said “as Pagan goes, so the team goes”, and we’re witnessing 5 losses out of the last 6 games. If Angel needs to rest for a bit (physically or mentally), he should. They need him for the long haul.

Come the end of September, if none of us even remembers these last 2 games, that will be a good thing, because it will mean they didn’t matter and the G’s made the playoffs. If they finish a game or two out of it and don’t make it, obviously you could point to any of their losses during the long season, but we will likely remember these 2. I’m thinking these 2 games were just fuck-ups and the team will right itself just fine. I’m just not lovin’ those Crazy Horse dashes home as much as I used to…..

Oh, and, happy 25th anniversary to “Field of Dreams”. Oddly enough, on a whim, I watched it again just last week, streaming on a Chinese website. I remember exactly which cinema and which girlfriend I saw that with lo all those years ago. It was a trade-off: she said she’d come with me to see it if I went with her to watch “Dirty Dancing”. Um… yeah, it was a trade-off.

I’d disagree on Pagan. Speed is a big part of his game, and he’s gotta feel confident about going all out to use it. It’s unsettling to opposing pitchers/fielders and important weapon for Giants offense and defense.
As far as injuries, Giants guys gotten hurt in food prep—doesn’t mean they shouldn’t make their own lunch.

Loo, funny thing is, there were times during Field of Dreams when my gf said “Oh, puleeze…” and even more times during Dirty Dancing when I said “Oh, puleeze…”.. Pick your poison. Dirty Dancing was schmaltze. Field of Dreams was schmaltze. But Field of Dreams was about baseball and Dads and Sons playing catch. Dirty Dancing was about growing up in uptight New York society and breaking free of … what?… Sorry, no contest.

“Giants guys gotten hurt in food prep—doesn’t mean they shouldn’t make their own lunch.” Willie, I’m not sure I understand what that means, although it sounds like a great lyric for a blues tune… 🙂 I agree about Pagan and speed as his weapon, and I love it when he’s wielding it. I’m fully in the camp of “As Pagan goes, so the Giants go” and truly believe him to be THE key player on the team. I was just sayin’ he might be hurt because of it and now he’s not performing as the team needs him to perform and maybe he needs to get right. I would love nothing more than to see more Angel salutes on the bases and sliding catches, but it seems something is not right and it needs to get right.

Giants need to come into today’s game angry AND focussed. With Bumgarner on the mound and a fast offensive takeoff the team should be psychologically ready for the trip to Chi-town. Team spirit and morale is everything in this game. If it can be said that if June has a must win occasion today is it. Go get em. Crush the Rox. Can’t hurt to give El Tiburon Blanco a day leading off in CF.

Adrianza is in at 2nd again in today’s LU. Something’s up. Regardless that Bochy says he’s behind Hicks, obviously he’s not THAT behind him with a 38% K rate. So, Adrianza’s got his moment, he’s getting a tryout to see if they can live with or without him. Fish or cut bait. If this doesn’t work the next few games, they’re going to make a move at 2nd. They probably will anyway. Has to happen, IMO. What is it with 2nd base? They haven’t had that position settled since Stone Hands left…

Yo, dudes, I have been enjoying the season, getting up in the mornings and reading the news of the game, watching the video highlights and then reading the flap accounts/convos. But it wasn’t enough so I paid for mlb.com and watch the game live over the www with a little lag.
things are good with the family and here with me so it is all gravy.
I used to think a fortnight was a 3 day weekend. Now I know.
PLAY BALL

Going to the game today, my daughter hooked it up for a surprise Fathers Day!
Having bottomless mimosas/ lunch at a place called Nova’s Bar & Grill off of South Park and Brannan, cool pub!!
Scored some killer seats club level and spending the day with my daughter, her best friend and her dad. Happy Father’s Day to all you flapper dads!!!

Sounds like a cool Father’s Day, Kat. I’ve eaten with my Snarkkettes pre-game across the street from you at the Grilled Cheese Kitchen, a pretty cool place. All kinds of grilled cheese and Mac & Cheese — considered a food group by the Snarkkettes…

Casey Kasem, radio icon of the rock and roll Countdown, dead at 82. RIP.
Loved his sentimental song dedications on those Sunday morning shows.
Here’s a classic we never got to hear…http://tinyurl.com/dx5zl95

Flav’s right, it is baseball. Nats had a great trip to SD and SF, and now are looking at getting swept by Cards, which would be 4th L in a row after Hudson gem. Until W last night A’s offense scored 1 run 3 times and were also shut out Friday by Phelps in their last 8 games.

Good to see Posey use RF for a base hit first time up after a great day yesterday. His home numbers aren’t good but his road ones definitely are (.875 OPS) and he’ll have a rest day Monday and another Thursday after 2 games vs. ChiSox ahead of 3 next weekend in AZ. Hopefully some *pool play* happens.

What was nice to see was El Tiburon Blanco laying down that bunt single. Wanna see more of that. Looks like another one of those games where it’s the little guys getting the job done. Nicasio got out of a huge jam vs the middle of the order but did build up a huuuge pitch count in the 2nd. Giants need to keep up the pressure.

Unless this German has an epic meltdown (which he shows no signs of) this is going to be one of the most boring final rounds in Open history…Golf without Tiger and or Phil in contention leaves a lot to be desired.

US Opens frequently generate a vanilla, unexciting winner. That’s what happens when you make the course so tough it punishes all but the plodders, and gives the creative shotmakers out of the rough no chance. Lucas Glover (who?), Geoff Ogilvy (who?), Michael Campbell (last winner of Open at Pinehurst), Lee Janzen (twice), Andy North (twice), Webb Simpson, Steve Jones, Corey Pavin, Scott Simpson, on and on…

Good point, but some of my favorite US Opens were played in conditions that were just ridiculously tough. An Open at the Olympic Club is the epitome of great TV. Balls landing five feet from the pin and then rolling back to the players feet, I love that shit!

did Timmy pinch running in the 9th yesterday bug you at all? I wasn’t worried about him getting hurt, and really these guys are pro athlete’s they should be able to be used as PR’s if called on and able, but can you imagine the backlash if he tore his hammy running yesterday?

It did bug me, definitely. That was pushed some by Bochy PHing for Adrianza with Hector. Hector got on from the Rocks screwing up, as I remember. Having poor options at second makes Bochy do moves he normally wouldn’t do — like the game earlier this week he pulled Adrianza for a PHer in the 6th. How can you pull your 2nd baseman starter in the 6th?…

Gutierrez coughed it up. The Giants really needed Casilla today. Casilla shares the goat-horns today with his goofball unnecessary injury. Bochy was trying to avoid having to pitch Machi 4 games in a row. There were a bunch of right-handed batters in a row. And Kontos, of course, is relatively worthless.
And Adrianza botched a crucial double-play opportunity. The Giants could have escaped the 8th inning up by 1 run if Adrianza doesn’t blow the double-play. Where is this awesome defense from Adrianza that we all heard about? Seriously, where has it been?

The Giants did pretty darned well this season for quite a while without Casilla, Belt, and Scutaro; but it caught up to them this past week. Secondbase is an issue, in particular. At least Belt and Casilla are eventually coming back.

Cost is prohibitive, IMO zum. They’d be paying for Utley for next season at $13M+, AND paying Scutaro $6M to get platelet injections in Miami, plus Panik would be shelved for full second season at AAA with no shot to see if he can play at the MLB level. I say bring up Panik now, contra to what I normally say about needing time in AAA. See if he sinks or swims. If he sinks, fine, he needs more time. If he swims, well, great. This Adrianza kid — I never heard of him before this Spring Training, all of a sudden he can’t be sent down because he’ll get claimed? Bulldust. He’s done almost nothing while here to make me sorry to see him go to Fresno, or outside the organization…

Utley isn’t going to cost shit with his 13+ next season. If the cost is simply dough then the Giants need to get him. He’d cost a mid level prospect with that 13 mil he’s owed next year and the Giants can make that up in a day with a new nickname turned into a bobblehead idea….

Both Sabean and Bochy are much slower to pull the trigger on changes that Giants’ fandom sometimes demand. And that’s probably a good thing. However, Belt’s return will automatically change the lineup in some way, and maybe it won’t just be a return to things as they were. It’s actually an opportunity to make another change or two at the same time. Agree with everyone here that 2B has now officially become a problem, and I seem to remember other instances that management voiced support of someone or said no changes were necessary, and then within a week, presto change-o. Sabes needs to do something to prevent this bad streak from turning into another *bad penny year*… 🙂 Can anyone remember the G’s losing 6 of 7 at home like this, after being so dominant at home up to that point? I’m glad they’re hitting the road. They need to wash this homestand out of their heads. Really didn’t think I’d see this bunch, this year, hit a streak like this. Wind it up, baby…

As I said yesterday and the day before, NOT WORRIED. With Casilla and Belt coming back, the team gets better. I do think Sabes will address 2nd base, but we’ll survive until then. The clown is right though, albeit, I remind myself that Sherpa fans are delusional and then count to 10, so’s I don’t cold cock one of the bastards mouthing off about their sweep. Meh.

I’m not worried about Colorado, they suck. It’s a little concerning that they wiped their ass with us in 3 innings across 3 games. But that’s more on bad luck than anything else. Rox have no pitching and hitters who are and will be breaking down. And Latroy Freaking Hawkings.
They suck.

Spurs in another thrash. Props to San Diego State guy Leonard, who gets much deserved MVP.
Spurs, even in garbage time up by 20 with few minutes left (about the time I used to get into HS games) with Belinelli in there, were still running their motion, passing cutting screening. Too much depth for Heat and everyone else too.
Heat had LeBron and nothing, and now have to wonder why he would stay.
I told cute gals at hair salon where I go a while ago that whoever came out of West would beat Heat. I talked to one of them there today before game–her friend tried to tell me she wasn’t there, but she was just hiding her face behind Viet newspaper. Even she admitted Heat were done, which after first 5 minutes, they were.

I don’t care much about soccer, but I watch the WCup highlights. I’ll say this, that Lionel Messi is an amazing, amazing little dude. There’s nobody like him that I’ve seen. He is a magician with the ball and his feet. Gooooooooooooooooooooll….